Heavy footsteps rushed in from both ends, three staff members pushing through the frozen crowd.
One figure stood out at the front, a frail-looking teacher in an expensive suit, clear fury burning in his eyes.
Theo recognized him immediately.
'Vice Principal Jones,' he thought, narrowing his eyes. 'Not good.'
"What is going on here?" Jones asked, his voice strained and hard.
David's head spun around instantly, still pinching his nose with one hand.
"He broke my nose!" he shouted, pointing at Theo with his other hand.
Vice Principal Jones frowned, noticing the blood leaking between David's fingers.
He waved his hand, sending one of the staff members to take a closer look immediately.
Finally, he turned to Theo.
"You punched him?" he asked coldly.
Theo didn't back down, understanding that was useless at this point.
"I did," he responded calmly.
Surprised by Theo's calm and honest response, Jones raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
Theo's expression didn't change, meeting Jones's gaze without flinching.
"He provoked us," he said evenly. "I just came here to register for the Youth Competition when he started insulting my family."
Jones's frown grew worse.
"Regardless of provocation, you know that any kind of violence will not be tolerated in this school."
The students all around murmured quietly, pointing fingers at them as they started taking sides.
Just then, David scoffed loudly.
"I didn't even insult him," he snapped. "I was just telling the truth. And he attacked me out of nowhere!"
Jones glanced around, his expression darkening as he noticed the growing number of students drawn by the commotion.
He narrowed his eyes, glancing back at Theo, David, and Owen.
"You three," he said, pausing for a moment. "Follow me to the principal's office."
His jaw tightened as he turned to the surrounding students.
"And the rest of you," he added sharply, "back to your classes."
The surrounding students fell quiet and glanced at each other for a moment before quickly dispersing.
Jones turned back, a hint of anger and irritation flashing across his face. Without another word, he started walking down the hallway towards the principal's office.
Theo followed behind him in silence, Owen close at his side. David walked last, a blood-soaked cloth pressed under his nose.
The surrounding hallways had gone quiet, students only daring to steal brief glances as word had already begun to spread.
No one spoke as their footsteps clacked softly against the floor.
'This won't be a light punishment,' Theo thought, his mind churning. 'Especially considering the status David's family holds here.'
Even without turning around, he could feel David's furious gaze burning into his back.
Theo let out a soft sigh, shaking his head lightly.
Just then, the vice principal stopped and knocked on a glass door. He pushed it open the next second, immediately speaking.
"We had an incident," he said coldly. "I brought everyone involved."
"An incident?" a hoarse voice came from inside the room.
"Yes," Vice Principal Jones nodded, gesturing for Theo and the others to enter. "These are the students responsible."
Theo stepped inside first, his eyes immediately locking onto the right side of the room.
A balding, fat man sat in a luxurious leather chair with a stern expression. In front of him sat a middle-aged woman in an expensive suit, several papers held neatly in her hands.
The fat man rapidly glanced over at the woman, clasping his hands together while maintaining an uncomfortable smile.
'Who's that woman?' Theo wondered, raising an eyebrow.
As he and the others entered the room, the vice principal closed the door behind them with a stern expression.
"Explain what happened," the man said, waving his hand at Vice Principal Jones.
Jones cleared his throat, briefly glancing at the middle-aged woman.
"Principal, these boys were involved in a fight," he answered politely.
The principal raised an eyebrow, his eyes darting between them. When he noticed David, he stopped, his expression paling slightly.
"David Whitmore?" he asked slowly.
"Yes," David nodded furiously, still pressing the cloth to his nose. "And these two punched me!"
The woman beside the principal finally looked up from her papers. Her eyes swept over David, then briefly flicked to Theo and Owen before returning to the principal.
The principal narrowed his eyes as he looked at Owen and Theo.
"Both of you hit him?"
"Yes," Theo responded firmly. "But only after he provoked us."
David immediately scoffed, his voice hoarse.
"I was just stating the truth," he said, glaring at them. "I even tried to offer my sympathy... and this is how they responded."
''That's not true at a—'' Owen started, expression darkening.
The principal's expression hardened instantly.
"Enough," he said, slamming his hand onto the desk. "Violence on school grounds will not be tolerated under any circumstances."
He stood up abruptly.
"Both of you," he continued, pointing at Theo and Owen, "are expelled. Effective immediately."
Owen's eyes widened.
"What?" he shouted. "That's bullshit!"
Theo's eyes widened as well. Being expelled like this would practically erase their chances of entering a good academy, which was essentially cutting off their futures.
'I knew he was on David's side,' he thought, clenching his fists. 'But this is unbearable.'
Before anyone could speak, a calm but stern female voice cut through the tension.
"Is that truly how this school handles its affairs?"
Everyone froze, heads turning toward the middle-aged woman seated beside the principal.
She slowly stood from her chair, her sharp gaze locking onto David.
The principal's face turned pale.
"Madam—" he began.
She ignored him and walked towards David.
A soft green light bloomed from her palm, slowly enveloping his face. In seconds, the swelling vanished, and his crooked nose straightened as if it had never been broken.
David stared in shock before touching his face carefully.
'Healing magic…' Theo thought, surprise written plainly across his face. 'I've never seen that before.'
The woman withdrew her hand and turned back to the principal with a scoff.
"You haven't even heard both sides," she said calmly. "And you've already decided to expel them?"
She looked at him coldly.
"If this is how your school conducts itself," she continued, "then perhaps we should reconsider allowing students from this institution to participate in the Youth Competition."
Cold sweat instantly formed on the principal's forehead.
No parent would send their child to a school banned from the city's largest competition, effectively sealing the institution's fate.
"They attacked David Whitmore," he said quickly, placing heavy emphasis on the name. "Violence is never tolerated."
"I don't care who he is," the woman replied flatly.
She turned toward Theo and Owen.
"I want to hear both sides."